610. To try these numerous cases a "Court of claims " was established, which began its sittings in February 1663. The conditions for proving "innocence" were very stringent and hard to comply with. Yet of 186 Roman Catholics who came before the court during the first three months, 168 established their innocence and were to be reinstated.

611. This so alarmed the settlers that a stop was put to the proceedings; and a new act was passed, known as the "Act of explanation," under which the adventurers agreed to give up one third of their possessions. But this did not afford near enough for all those who proved themselves "innocent," and the available land was greatly diminished by immense grants to favoured individuals: the king gave 120,000 acres in Tipperary to his brother the duke of York (afterwards James II.); and large districts were given to lords Ormond and Inchiquin.

612. After much wrangling, matters were adjusted; and it came to this, that whereas before the settlement the Catholic proprietors possessed about five millions of acres, or two thirds of all the arable land (the remaining third being held by Protestants of the Plantation times of Elizabeth and James), after the time of this final arrangement they had only two-and-a-half millions or one-third, while two thirds remained with the Protestants.

613. There remained a large proportion of the Catholics who were not restored: many of these held on in their poor homes in Connaught; and many sinking into hopeless poverty, perished of privation.

614. In the three planted provinces the great preponderance of the poorer people were Catholics: besides great numbers of Catholic gentry who resisted expulsion. The highest class of Protestant settlers remained apart from and unmixed with Catholics; but the middle and lower classes-like the settlers of earlier times (257)--became gradually absorbed by intermarriage among the old native race; and in half a century had in a great measure adopted their language, religion, and habits.

D

615. At the time of the Restoration the population of Ireland was about 1,100,000 of whom 800,000 were Roman Catholics-including the old English who were nearly all Catholics; 200,000 Non-conformist Protestants, or Puritans, and 100,000 episcopal Protestants, belonging to the Established Church. The new Cromwellian settlers were almost all Puritans. Both sections of Protestants were alike hostile to the Roman Catholics.

During the parliamentary sway the Non-conformists had the upper hand, and the Established Church was repressed, and its clergy removed; while still stronger measures, as as we have seen (603), were taken against the Roman Catholics.

616. One of the first acts of Charles II. was to restore the Established Church in Ireland; and the bishops and ministers returned to their dioceses and parishes. But as the members of this church were so few, most had very small flocks, and very many none at all. Bramhall, a man so much in favour of the "divine right" and extreme prerogatives of the king, that he was called the "Irish Laud," was made archbishop of Armagh, and Jeremy Taylor bishop of Down and Connor. This restoration of the church was bitterly resented by the Puritans, who detested government by bishops.

617. The Act of uniformity was brought to bear chiefly on the Presbyterians, who now suffered a sharp, though short, persecution. Nearly all determinedly refused to comply with the requirements of the act, and the clergy were expelled from their ministry and their homes: some were fined or sent to jail; some were banished from the country. But most held their ground and secretly kept religion alive among their flocks.

A large number of the lay members-sober, industrious, and peaceful people unwilling to bear these religious hardships, sold their property and emigrated to the Puritan colonies of New England. But by unyielding firmness the Presbyterians at length obtained toleration and justice.

618. While the Presbyterians were suffering, the Catholics were treated with some leniency by Ormond, through the interference of the king. Ormond however soon resumed his severities; whereupon the king removed him in 1669, and appointed lord Robarts, who was in his turn succeeded as lord lieutenant in 1670 by lord Berkeley. This was followed by renewed severities against the Nonconformists, and by further toleration for the Roman Catholics.

619. The Catholic cause was advocated and advanced in London by colonel Richard Talbot afterwards earl and duke of Tirconnell, and by his brother Peter Talbot Roman Catholic archbishop of Dublin.

620. But the leniency experienced by the Catholics was of short duration. It was known that the king's brother James duke of York was a Roman Catholic. The king himself was believed to be a Catholic also; and reports went abroad that he was conspiring to restore the Catholic religion over the Three Kingdoms. Matters were brought to a crisis by the Titus Oates plot in England in 1678. This was an evil turn for the Irish Roman Catholics; for now there were all sorts of wild unfounded rumours of their wicked intentions towards Protestants.

Measures of extraordinary severity-proclamations in quick succession-were brought into play, and the Catholics now passed through a period of great suffering. Several mnocent persons were arrested and imprisoned: and Dr. Oliver Plunket archbishop of Armagh was brought to London, where in 1681, he was tried and executed on false testimony,

King Charles died in 1685, a Catholic, and attended by a Catholic priest.

CHAPTER XXIV.

JAMES THE SECOND.

(1685-1688.)

621. In 1685 James II. succeeded his brother as king of England. He was a Roman Catholic, and his accession gave great joy to the Catholics of Ireland, and corresponding alarm to the Protestants. He soon entered on the dangerous task of gradually restoring the Catholic religion in both countries. Colonel Talbot (619), a strict Catholic, of a disposition over-zealous and imprudent, was sent to Ireland as commander of the forces, and was created earl of Tirconnell. As a sort of set-off, the king appointed his own brother-in-law, lord Clarendon, who was a Protestant, lord lieutenant, in place of Ormond.

622. But Clarendon was a mere shadow; Tirconnell was the real ruler; and one of his first acts was to disarm the militia, who were all Protestants. He also appointed Catholic officers all through the army, as well as Roman Catholic judges on the bench; and many other important posts were filled up by Catholics. He made an attempt to have the Act of settlement (609) repealed; but failed.

623. At length in 1687 Tirconnell was appointed lord lieutenant. This created quite a panic among the Protestants, and terrific rumours ran rife of intended massacres; so that hundreds fled from their homes to England and elsewhere.

624. In the midst of all this excitement and alarm, and while Tirconnell openly persevered in his course, William prince of Orange landed in England in November 1688, with a fleet and an army, at the invitation of some of the leading Protestants. King James, at the first appearance of danger, fled to France (in December); and William took possession of the throne of England without opposition. But he had to fight for Ireland.

625. Tirconnell took immediate measures to secure Ireland for King James. He raised and armed an army of Catholics, and disarmed the Protestants. He took possession of most of the important places through the country; but the people of Enniskillen refused to admit his garrison. Then began the War of the Revolution.

626. Lord Antrim marched to take possession of Derry ; but while the aldermen and magistrates were hesitating, a few of the bolder young apprentices seizing the keys, locked the town gates on the 7th of December 1688, and shut out Antrim and his Jacobite forces.

627. In February 1689, lieutenant-general Richard Hamilton was sent north by Tirconnell to reduce Ulster, where the Protestants were now making preparations for defence; and having captured some places and been repulsed in others, he arrived near Derry.

628. Meantime king James sailed for Ireland from Brest with 100 French officers, 1,200 Irish refugees, arms and ammunition for 10,000 men, and a supply of money. Among the French officers were De Rosen and the French ambassador count d'Avaux. Among the Irish were Patrick Sarsfield, the two Hamiltons, and the two Luttrells. James landed at Kinsale on the 12th March 1689, and passing through Cork, proceeded to Dublin.

629. Having visited Derry in April, where he found his army engaged in the siege, he returned to Dublin and summoned a parliament. During the short sitting of this parliament, from the 7th May to the 20th of July, the following measures, among others, were passed:-Poynings' Law (308) was repealed. There was to be full freedom of worship.